Join Colin Cook as he uncovers the profound theological themes present in Romans chapters 9 through 11. Understand how God’s mercy extends beyond initial rejection, leading to a future reconciliation that includes both Jews and Gentiles. Colin unpacks the dynamic nature of faith, illustrating how crises in life lead individuals to an ultimate reliance on God’s grace. This episode is a deep dive into the mysteries of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
So Paul now talks about our attitude towards the Jewish people, towards Israel. You know, he’s talking about the salvation of Israel and how God brings it about and how he allows them to stumble but not to fall because he has elected them and he’s going to redeem them by making them jealous through the salvation of the Gentiles. And then they will want, both here and now, and in the final judgment, what the Gentiles will want. And then comes that passage, the passage about the branches. Let’s read it together. Verse 17. And if some of the branches, referring of course to Israel, and if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches, but if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fell severity, but towards you goodness. If you continue in his goodness, otherwise you also will be cut off.” And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in. Well, now, this passage is one of those that makes people think, well, there you are then. It’s all a question of whether mankind or people and individuals choose God or not and keep believing. Then he’ll graft them in, and if they don’t, he’ll cut them off. Well, that’s again, I tell you, is only half the story. This is Paul talking about it now from a human point of view, but previously he’s been talking about it from a heavenly point of view. For example, look at that verse that says, consider then, consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fell severity, but on you, goodness. Well, what is that severity? The severity was described already in verse 11. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not, but through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. And verse 15, if their being cast away is reconciling the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? So you see, when we talk about God’s severity, we must be sure we know what we’re talking about. The severity on those who fell, that’s verse 21. means that he allowed them to be thrown out of the country that they lived in. He allowed them to lose their temple. He was willing to cast down the very temple that he had ordered to be built to honor his name because they disobeyed him, because they would not believe in him, because they followed after foreign gods. He was willing to cast them away, but not to be mindless and forgetful of them. Even Ezekiel made this point. Where do you think Ezekiel prophesied from? Jeremiah, remember, prophesied from Jerusalem after the fall of Israel, the fall of Jerusalem when the Babylonians invaded it. Where did Ezekiel prophesy from? He was taken along with the captives to Babylon. And so God was teaching Israel that even in captivity, he cared for them and loved them, and he said, in fact, I am for you. So when you think about the severity of God, don’t be more severe than God himself. The truth is that many Christians today love the idea of justice and punishment for the wicked because they haven’t a heart of faith and love. Now, granted there is punishment for the wicked. Granted, if we walk away from him, there will be disaster. But that does not mean that the severity is final, for God himself will be with the people he has cast away, and he will be drawing them to himself. So once again I say to you, look at verse 22, Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God on those who fell severity. Right? But then go back to verse 11 that we read and explored yesterday and the day before. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not. But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. And so, you see, God’s severity on those who fall does not mean that they will be cast away forever. It means they will be put in a position where they will hunger and long like the prodigal son by the side of the pigsty. and they will be jealous for what is happening to the Gentiles who are being saved, just like the prodigal son will be jealous of all his servants who have more food to eat than he has by the pigsty, and then they will be called back to return home, and he will return home. Do you see how it works? Don’t tell half the story, for goodness sake. But you say, Colin, it says, severity towards you, let me read it again, therefore consider the goodness and severity of God. On those who fell, severity but towards you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness. You see, there is the condition, if you continue in his goodness. Again, I say to you, read the whole of Romans 9 through 11, because when God presents to us a condition of believing, he is in that very act appealing to us, in that very act he is exercising his sovereignty in giving us the good news so that we then receive the faith he is giving us. But you say, what about those who don’t receive that faith, who refuse it? Well, that again, we go back to his sovereignty. That is when he gives the good news of mercy when people are not ready to receive it, and it hardens them. And thus God hardens people until they cannot stand it anymore and finally yield to his grace and mercy. That’s the teaching. You have to see that in the Gospels, for example, the way the Gospels talk about faith. Is faith a gift from God? Yes, it is. You remember Jesus said to Peter, Blessed are you, Peter, for flesh and blood has not revealed it to you. What to you? Flesh and blood has not revealed to you who I am, that I am the Christ, the Son of the living God. But my Father has revealed it to you. Okay, so then a revelation comes from God when we believe, in order for us to believe. We cannot believe without it. But in other places, the Scriptures in the Gospels and also in the book of Acts seem to suggest that belief, coming to believe in our Saviour, is our decision. Believe and you will be saved. But the call to believe and be saved comes from a servant of God, whichever servant that may be, who is speaking through the Holy Spirit, and therefore the Holy Spirit, by commanding you to believe, is in that very act enabling you to believe. And if he is saying, believe and you shall be saved, to somebody who is not ready to be saved, then that call will harden that person until he breaks. That’s how the gospel works. People have not brought these things together and it is a tragedy. Paul is demonstrating here without doubt that God is going to have mercy on all. That is his conclusion in verse 32. For God has imprisoned, committed all to disobedience. In other words, we chose to separate ourselves from God, suppress him without even knowing what we were doing from childhood. And God says, okay, I’m going to imprison you in that until you can’t stand it any longer. And then I will be able to have mercy on you. But I will not be able to have mercy on you unless you open up to me. How will God get us to open up to him? By bringing crises into our lives that lead us to a sense of helplessness and to the need of God. And then he will have mercy on all. So you see then, we are the branches, and we were grafted in. That’s a beautiful truth, isn’t it? If some of the branches were broken off, that is, the Israelites, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, let me stop there, it’s halfway through the sentence, I know, but think of this. You have become a partaker. You have become a partaker in Israel. You are a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree. Jesus Christ, of course, is that olive tree, God, the source of all life and grace and peace and mercy. He is the root, and he has grafted you into that root. Now then, he tells us, if that is so, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. Now that is quite a statement. Have you ever thought of the fact that it is Israel, by God’s providence, that supports you? Christians over the centuries have been guilty of boasting against Israel. Christians in Europe throughout the centuries moved away as far as they could from Israel in order not to be tarnished by their bad reputation. and they wanted to separate from them, as if they were superior because they believed in the Messiah, but Israel did not. You and I are not superior because we believe, because belief is a gift from God. He gave it to us. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t get credit so that we could be given it. We were given mercy by God because he wanted us to reveal his glory to the world and make Israel jealous. And so it is your position in this life to be an object of God’s mercy and his loving kindness and his help in your life so that others see it and get jealous, and Israel perhaps particularly gets jealous. And so you and I need to repent of the times in which we have ridiculed Israel and thought of them as inferior, for the truth is that they are elected by God and especially privileged, and they will return to God after all the suffering that they have gone through. Believe it and be a light. Thanks for joining me today. Colin Cook here and how it happens. You can hear this broadcast on the radio at 10 o’clock in the evening, repeated at four in the morning on KLTT AM 670 in the Denver and Colorado and surrounding states areas. But you can also hear the broadcast on your smartphone any time of the day or night. Simply download a free app, soundcloud.com or podbean.com, and key in how it happens with Colin Cook when you get there. And please, would you consider a donation at this time of the month? I would so appreciate it. Send your donation to FaithQuest, P.O. Box 366, Littleton, Colorado 80150. or make your donation online at faithquestradio.com Thank you so much for all your support. I’ll see you next time. Cheerio and God bless.
Join Colin Cook as he uncovers the profound theological themes present in Romans chapters 9 through 11. Understand how God’s mercy extends beyond initial rejection, leading to a future reconciliation that includes both Jews and Gentiles. Colin unpacks the dynamic nature of faith, illustrating how crises in life lead individuals to an ultimate reliance on God’s grace. This episode is a deep dive into the mysteries of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.
